Mine haulage unit



July 18, 1939.

3 Sheets-Sheet 1 W far m n, uw mv j n RN \,N\/NNJ WN Mw NMJ S e. N\\.. vw Q y w July 18, 1939.

J. H. FLETCHER M1111: HAULAGE UNH Filed April 19, 1937 5 sheets-sheet 2 July 18, 1939. J, H, FLETCHER N Y 2,166,135

MINE IIULAGVIE"v UNIT Filed AprilV 19, '1937 s sheets-sheet 3 FE I/'Dr Patented July 18, 1 939 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFic 2 Claims.

This invention relates to haulage or transportation units adapted particularly for gathering service in mines to transport the mined material, such as coal, from mobile loaders to a transfer or concentration point where it is discharged into transfer equipment from Where it is taken from the mine to the surface.

Where the haulage units in mines are designed to dump the load as by tilting of the unit body or-by the opening of dumping doors, receiving hoppers must be provided having sufcient ca- -pacity to hold several dumped loads and the transfer equipment must be of size andv capacity tounload the hopper for reception "of further dumpings. Where the large receiving hoppers are set in the ground, large pits must be-sunk at each concentration point in the mine, and allthis involves unnecessary time, labor, and c ost.

An important object of my invention is to provide a haulage unit from which the load can be discharged directly to the transfer equipment and at a regulatable rate'commensurate with the rate'of operation of the transfer equipment so. that the material will travel at a desirable uniform rate from the haulage unit to the transporta-tion means, such as mine cars', for transportation to the exterior of the mine.

A further object is to provide a haulage unit equipped with a conveyor forming a structural part thereof and operable along the bottom thereof to discharge the material from the outlet end` of the unit body at a predetermined rate of flow -to the transfer equipment at the transfer point in mines.

Another object is to provide a haulage unit equipped with a conveyor extending along its bottom and with the conveyonadapted for de- .tachable connection with suitable driving meanswhich may also be used for driving the transfer equipment so that the rate of discharge from the haulage unit may be in accord with the rate of operation of the transfer equipment forv flow of the material from the haulage unit to the transportation means in a continuous, steady and uniform stream.

'A further object is to provide vimproved construction for said conveyor equipped haulage units which will give such units maximum capacity but. with minimum height so that the units may be readily and eiliciently maneuvered in the mine' passageways where head room is limited.

v Another object is to design such units to assure strength and durability and balanced operation. i

In general, the 'objectis to produce a type of haulage unit. which will make it possible tomaterially reduce the size, capacity, and Weight of transfer equipment and eliminate costly excavation s o that the vtransferjequipment may be more portable 'and more readily and economi-- cally moved from one transfer point to another in a mine.

The above enumerated and other features of my invention areincorporated in the structure disclosed on the drawings, in which drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a haulage unit;

Figure 2 is a plan view thereof;

Figure 3 is a section on plane III-III of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a section on plane IV-IV of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is ure 2;

Figure 6 is a plan View 'of the body or cradle frame of the truck structure for supporting the chassis on which the conveyor mechanism-and the load supporting body are mounted; and

Figure 7 is an -enlarged end view of the cradle frame. y

As shown on Figure 1, the entire transportation or haulage unit comprises a propulsion or tractor element A and the load carrying element B, the two elements being detachably coupled by a suitable coupling means IU'.

The load supporting-'vehicle or trailer B comprises a main frame or chassis C, a wheeled supporting structure D secured tothe chassis, a conveyor structure E mounted on the chassis, and a load containing body F mounted on th'e chassis.

The chassis C comprises side beams II and \l in the form of channel bars. In each of t e channel bars II and II is an angle bar I2 with its vertical leg engaging the web of the corresponding channel bar and resting on the lowery flange of the channel bar, the horizontal legs of the angle bars forming -supports for a plate I3 which at its sides may have upstanding flanges Il resting against the webs of the channels II and 'il' and abutting against the upper flanges thereof.- The plate I3 forms a. bottom wall for thev load receiving body F.

Within the channel beams II and II' are endless conveyor chains I5 and I5 respectively which at their front ends pass around a roll I6 and at their rear ends pass around sprocket wheels II and- Il respectively mounted on a drive shaft I8 supported to extend across the rear ends of the channel 'beams II and II. The

rolll has a supporting shaft I9 supported at its ends in slots 20 in side walls 2l extending forwardly from the front ends of the channel beams Ii and II', the ends of the shaft being received in journal boxes 22 secured to 'screw rods 23 extending through the front Wall 24 and engaged by nuts 25. By means of the screw rods, the journal boxes may be shifted for shift-A ing of the shaftA I9 in the.y slot. 20 for suitable tensioning of' the conveyorxvchains.

Thechain belts are cross connected by bars 26 suitably spaced apart, the upper runs ,or legs 60 vaniaed to avoid unnecessary weight.

veying material to the rear end of the conveyor structure.

The load holding body F is of hopper shape and is preferably constructed of sheet metal. Its inclined side walls 21 are shaped along their lower ends to seat on the chassis beams ll and Il' and are provided with bracing or stiifening ribs 28. A cross wall 29 between the inclined side Walls 21 forms the front wall for the body F, the rear end of the body F being normally closed by a door 30 suspended from a shaft ,3i extending between the side walls 21 at the top thereof. The front wall 29 inclines downwardly and rearwardly from the chassis wall 24 so as to direct the material within the body,I toward the conveyor structure to be received by the cross bars 2t. 'I'he chassis front wall 24 forms a support for the front end of the body structure as best indicated by Figure 3, the body structure being thus a separate unitary structure which may be seated on the chassis structure. Extending from the front end of the chassis structure is the tongue 32 by means of which the vehicle structure B is coupled to the tractor or propulsion element A by the coupling mechanism I which may be.

of any suitable design.

'I'he truck structure D shown has a supporting frame or cradle 33 comprising a bottom wall 34 and upstanding side walls 35. The cradle tray may be a unitary casting and may be gal- As best shown by Figure '1, the side walls 35 of the frame are triangular, each comprising main supporting portions 3 5 connected by Webs 31, the main portions SS terminating in hubs 38 from which stub axles 39 extend laterally with each stub shaft adapted to receive one or more wheels W, which wheels are preferably ofthe pneumatic tire type. As shown in Figures 6 and '1, the shafts may be pressed into the hub openings 40, and may be additionally secured as by means of keys 4i.

The cradle frame receives the chassis structure C, the chassis channel beams Il and I I' fitting into the corn'ers of the cradle frame to seaton the bottom wall 34 thereof and this bottom wall is made of sufllcient width so as to aord ample support longitudinally of the chassis structure, and the side walls 35 guidedly align the beams in their assembled relation to the cradle. The axles 39 are at an elevation so as to bring the center of gravity of the entire vehicle structure down as low as possible while still retaining suf cient clearance between the ground and the bottom of the cradle frame. To clear the wheels which extend almost up to the top of the body F, the body side walls 21 are provided with recesses over which hoods or fenders 42 are secured, the inner walls 43 of these hoods resting on top of the chassis beams Il and il', as shown in Figure 5. The body AF is of a .Width to overhang the wheels and the edge portions 44 may be deflected to form buffer rails.

The conveyor chain driving shaft I8 with its sprocket wheels I1 and I1 thereon is outside of and below the door 30. 'I'he drive shaft i8 has polygonal ends I0' for reception of suitable tools or apparatus for rotating the shaft foroperation of the conveyor. As described in my copending application executed of'feven date herewith, the polygonal ends of the drive shaft may receive coupling sockets at the ends of driving and coupling assemblies extending from driving means for driving transfer equipment which receives the mined material discharged from the transportation or haulage unit by its conveyor mechamsm.

My improved haulage unit is comparatively light and compact and is of comparatively large capacity, and with the body bottom and the conveyor mechanism thereon below the wheel axes. the entire structure is of such over-all reduced height that it can be readily and eflicently maneuvered in mine passageways having limited head room, as for example in coal mines. As the truck cradle with the axles securely anchored thereto forms a rigid support, permanent-rigidity between Wheels and permanent trackage of the Awheels are always assured irrespective of any deformations of the sheet metal body. Furthermore, as the comparatively rigid chassis structure supports the conveyor mechanism, the conveyor mechanism will always operate easily and efficiently. As the haulage unit conveyor mechanism can be operated for discharge of mined material at a controllable rate, transfer equipment with which the haulage units are used may be made much smaller and lighter and maytherefore be more readily transported from one transfer point to another in a mine. Instead of providing the conveyor equipped haulage unit with pneumatic tire wheels as shown, it is evidentl that track engaging-wheels could be used if desirable.

I have shown practical and emcient embodiments of the various features of my invention, but I do not desire to be limited to the exact construction, arrangement, and operation shown and described, as changes and modifications are possible which would still come within the scope of the invention.

l claim as follows:

l. A mine haulage unit comprising a vcradle having a pair of spaced opposed and vertically extending side walls rising from a transversely extending connecting member adapted to provide a seat for a chassis, a chassis seated on said seat and guidedly aligned by and between said side walls, a stub axle on each of said side walls and near the upper end thereof, a wheel mounted on each of said stub axles, and a hoppervbody seated in said chassis and being provided with spaced opposed longitudinally extending sides dished to receive and guard said wheels.

2. A mine haulage unit comprising a cradle having a pair of spaced opposed and vertically extending side walls rising from a pair of longitudinally spaced and transversely extending connecting membersA adapted to provide aseat for a chassis, a chassis seated on said seat and guidedly aligned by and between said walls, a stub axle on each of said side walls and near the upper end thereof, a wheel mounted on each of said stub axles, and a hopper body seated on said chassisi and being provided with spaced opposed longitudinally extending sides dished to receive and guard said wheels.

JAMES H. FLETCHER. v 

